Back catalogue: Techno (すべて)

Review: The Detroit veteran and "cousin to Omar-S" known as Leonard "Big Strick" Strickland returns with the follow-up to his well-received 2011 long player, Detroit Heat. Where that largely stuck to deep house, this set casts the net much wider, offering a mixture of sparse, melodic techno, hypnotic tech house and even ambient moods (check the luscious "Days Gone") alongside Strickland's simple-bit-effective deep house. Check, for example, the classic Detroit revivalism of "Reese Cup", the chiming melodies and jackin' beats of "Code 1" and the curious piano jazz of "Slow Ride". There's also a track written with friend Omar-S, the wonderfully deep and fluid "Family Affair".

Review: Underground Resistance associate Frank "DJ 3000" Juncaj has never been the most high profile crew member, but he's nevertheless provided techno heads with some seriously high quality material over the years - mostly through his own Motech imprint. Here he celebrates 10 years of the label with an expansive compilation featuring some of his favourite reworks from the catalogue. There's a good mixture of robust loop techno (see the reworks from Robert Hood and Ken Ishii), classic UR-ish Detroit club techno (see Enthousiaste Gasten's version of "Pressure"), hypnotic European style floor fillers (versions from Luke Hess and Anoynm) and even a couple of bumpin' downtempo tracks (Glasgow Chavez's remix of "Equatorial Soil").

Review: Long-awaited collection of tracks old and new from UR's Galaxy 2 Galaxy, producers of the finest in Detroit jazzy techno. The group have evolved from a studio bound alter ego of Mad Mike to a fully-fledged live outfit capable of smooth house delicacy.

Review: After three years away from the limelight, Lee Gamble has resurfaced not on original home PAN - where his skewed, intense, texture-laden club tracks and experimental soundscapes made him a darling of the left-of-centre techno set - but on Hyperdub. The move is reflective of the producer's shift in emphasis. You see, Mnestic Pressure is a notably different beast to its' predecessors. For starters, Gamble has chosen to focus more on non-linear rhythms, impressively breaking up the beats whilst retaining his trademark aural textures, crackling effects and densely layered signal noise. At the same time, his alternately restless and becalmed experiments come accompanied by more melodic flourishes, making the album an unusual but hugely enjoyable listening experience.

Review: After winning hearts from critics and listeners alike with his two 2012 albums, Lee Gamble delivers a hotly anticipated follow-up for his spiritual home, Pan. The tone of Koch is similarly concerned with plush ambient tones and murky atmospherics, while the beats meander from techno thrust (as on "Motor System") via fractious weirdo house shuffle (see "Nueme") through to intricate broken beat minimalism (courtesy of "Voxel City Spirals"). These differences are bound together by the immersive tones that linger consistently over the album, giving rise to a release that should satisfy anyone craving more of the goodness that populated Diversion 1994-1996.

Review: Australian duo Gardland (a collaboration between producers Alex Murray and Mark Smith) specialise in the sort of linear, psychedelic-tinged house and techno that rarely fails to impress. That's certainly the case with Syndrome Syndrome, their debut album. Sounding like a sparser, spookier, less "maximal" Blondes, crossed with the clanking electronics of Autechre and kraut-inspired rhythms of Factory Floor, Syndrome Syndrome is much more imaginative and entertaining than many techno-centric excursions. Pleasingly, there are aural surprises - be they weird-out guitar samples or unusual percussion sounds - around every corner. That's the sign of an impressive debut.

Review: In alignment with London clubbing institution Fabric's 25th year, the huge figural techno head Laurent Garnier joins on for the former's Fabric Presents mix series, which selects artists to record different stylistic kinds of DJ mixes - separate to the longtime, peaktime, and often drum & bass-oriented Fabriclive series. Among the shortlist of artists drawn up, Garnier's name stuck out like a sore thumb, not least since those who are inevitably chosen had to have risen to fame in roughly the same timeframe as the Farringdon nightclub did. Fabric make the following promise: Laurent's mix, released here in the form of a deluxe CD compendium, will not only pay homage to the club, but also showcase his own mastery of genres and the diversity of his genius. The release will drop physical-only as a deluxe vinyl collectable and on CD and it'll also feature a new original four-track EP from Laurent.

Review: Fabric Presents Laurent Garnier is a remarkable 4xCD compilation that captures the legendary French DJs unmatched knack for selecting the finest in deep techno and house. With over 35 years in the industry, Garnier's sets have become synonymous with dancefloor transcendence and this collection is no exception. Here, Garnier focuses exclusively on fresh releases, reflecting his continued pulse on contemporary techno. Notable tracks include Deon Cole's infectious 'Where The Freaks At', the haunting atmospheres of Culoe De Song's 'Aftermath' and Anane's bold reinterpretation of 'Walking On Thin Ice'. Each vinyl side flows seamlessly, packed with standout moments, from the vibrant collaboration 'Shella Verse' by Sammy Virji & Flowdan to Equiknoxx's dynamic 'Urban Snare Cypher'. While Laurent's sets are known for bridging the genre's past and present, this collection highlights only new music, showcasing Garnier's enduring influence and impeccable taste. Fabric Presents Laurent Garnier is an essential snapshot of the genre's current sound, proving that Laurent's curatorial skills remain as sharp and relevant as ever. This compilation is a must for anyone invested in quality techno and house music.

Review: Laurent Garnier's rebirth as a producer during 2014 - a year when he released five 12" singles on as many labels - is arguably one of the most heartening dance music stories of recent times. La Home Box, released on his revived F Communications imprint, charts that rebirth, gathering together tracks from those releases with a smattering of previously unheard cuts. It offers a snapshot of Garnier's long-displayed eclecticism, featuring not only throbbing techno stompers and woozy, darkwave-influenced house, but also experimental hip-hop, synth-wave and, in the case of "Bang (The Underground Doesn't Stop)", a dash of Head High style, piano-laden jack.

Review: Although his earliest LPs did contain plenty of dancefloor workouts, Laurent Garnier has traditionally used the album format to explore his full range of influences. It's rather pleasing, then, to find that his latest full-length excursion - his first solo set for some eight years - is a righteous and predictably impressive collection of full-throttle club cuts. It's naturally rooted in house and techno - he's a masterful producer of both - but there's still plenty of variety to be found across the album. For proof, compare, and contrast, the buzzing and hypnotic, arpeggio-driven trip of 'Tales From The Real World', the modular tech-house-meets-hip-house flex of 'In Your Phase', the spine-tingling moodiness of Alan Vega hook-up 'Saturn Drive Triplex' and the starry melodies and locked-in grooves of 'Liebe Grube Ausn Cucoron'.

Review: 'Kings of Techno' is the 6th instalment in a compilation series that grows more ubiquitous with each release. Over 130,000 albums have been sold in a series that brings together globally renowned DJs & producers to reveal their favourite tracks in the genre they themselves have become best known for. 'The Kings Of' albums allow compilers to make choices well beyond the usual restraints imposed on them. Each release features striking artwork from 60s Rolling Stones photographer & bon viveur extraordinaire Michael Joseph. Techno has its roots in Detroit, more precisely in the eclectic late radio programs of Charles "The Electrifying Mojo" Johnson which heavily featured early electronic works (Moroder, Kraftwerk...) and funk, giving birth to a new genre in the mind of a fistful of African-American students, 'The Belleville Three': Derrick May, Juan Atkins & Kevin Saunderson. Featuring a percussive, synthetic sound and a 4/4 beat, techno developed from a strictly underground phenomenon to an established, global genre when it came to England and from there the rest of the world. But this album is not your average techno mix album. How could it be - it features two of dance music's most significant players of the last 15 years. Laurent Garnier was one of the first Europeans to mix American house and techno music in Britain, earning his crown in the glory days of the Hacienda in the late 80s. Some tracks of his mix will be immediately recognizable as techno, such as the obscure 'Just A Feeling' by Instinct - deeply evocative of a 101 lost weekends in the 'Hac', as it affectionately became know by regulars - or the phenomenal 'Utopia' by Jeff Mills - a track which best defines the atmospheric soundscapes associated with the genre. But far from being strictly techno, Garnier's mix is both a testimony to the genre's main influences and an eclectic tribute to the town that saw its emergence: Detroit. The great beauty of his mix is the layering of the many styles, travelling from Alice Coltrane and Aretha Franklin to The Stooges, from Motown's Temptations to Slum Village to futuristic hip-hop-anthem-in-the-making Dabrye's collaboration with Jay Dee on 'Game Over'. Carl Craig grew up in Detroit; his diverse musical output has gained him fans from a broad range of musical backgrounds. Considered as one of the main figures of the second generation of Detroit techno producers, his extensive DJing all over the world witnessed the development of the genre. In direct contrast to Laurent's mix, his takes in music that mostly emanated from Europe. Like Laurent's, some falls easily into the techno category: Nitzer Ebb's industrial bass heavy 'Join In The Chant' fits seamlessly with Capricorn's 'I Need Love' from defunct early 90s trance label Sperm Records. Visage and Human League will be remembered for European chart success in the glory days of late 70s, early 80s pop music, the former perhaps better known for their hit 'Fade To Grey', the latter for their massive 'Don't You Want Me Baby'. Both had a high voltage current running through their music and significantly these tracks still gain a cheer on today's dance floor. So expect the unexpected, once again the meeting of minds in the 'Kings Of' series has spawned an informed, genre-defying double CD that's mixed to perfection, and that takes us on a journey from which we won't want to, or simply can't, return.

Review: Totalling 23 tracks, 'Retrospective' is a grand summation of the works of Laurent Garnier since he started the F Communications label in 1992. The album includes studio, live, remix and rare versions of some of his best loved works among them 'The Man With The Red Face', 'Crispy Bacon', 'Greed', 'Acid Eiffel', 'Flashback' and his first single 'Astral Dreams', as well as five tracks never before released on CD. Laurent Garnier continues to forge ahead of his peers in terms of cultural impact. In the last five years alone he has written a book 'Electrochoc' (published around Europe to great acclaim), progressed from Music Controller at France's Radio Nova radio station to running his own station Pedro Broadcasting (PBB) while touring the world with the 'Unreasonable Behaviour' album and subsequent live set, and more recently performing Cinemix shows - a live soundtrack to very rare archive anthropological footage from the late 1800s - the most significant set of which was at La Louvre in Paris earlier this year. Laurent is set to stage one of these performances in London in September.

Review: Wolfgang Voigt's groundbreaking project Gas returns with a definitive reissue of its self-titled debut album, originally released in 1996 on Mille Plateaux and now reintroduced by Kompakt on CD format. This release marks a long-awaited return to the foundational essence of Gas, as initially envisioned by Voigt. Gas unfolds across six expansive, untitled tracks that drift seamlessly, each a captivating journey of ethereal loops and rhythmic undercurrents. Distant echoes of classical motifs add to the album's enigmatic allure. This debut stands out for its airy, evocative atmosphere and its exploratory nature. Gas not only revisits a pivotal moment in electronic music history but also underscores Voigt's enduring influence and avant-garde spirit, setting the stage for the techno and ambient genres to unfold from his influence. There is quite nothing like the first four Gas albums.

Review: "The Number Of The Beat", by Gebruder Teichmann, is a dynamite release out on Disko B.

Review: Having previously impressed with a series of acclaimed - and best-selling - singles on Turbo, Bromance and Goodlife, French producer Gesaffelstein transfers to major label Warner Brothers. Aleph is his first full-length, and expands on the dayglo electro and pulsationg, floor-friendly rhythms of previous outings. While there are some interesting downtempo excursions - see the Vangelis-ish stylings of "Nameless" and the LCD Soundsystem style "Destinations" - Gesaffelstein is at his best setting his sights on dancefloor domination. As a result, the album's best moments - the heavy acid-meets-indie dance throb of "Obsession" and Tiga style madness of "Duel" - are rave anthems in waiting.

Review: Soundtrack-like, continuous playing, deep droning ambient excursions.

Review: Over the last few years, Bristol's Giant Swan have rightly become one of the most admired and talked about acts in techno, primarily thanks to their brilliant live shows and a gritty, loose-limbed take on industrial techno that combines a free-wheeling punk attitude with more funk than is normally found within the scene they inhabit. The duo's long awaited debut album is a little more mixed-up sound wise (I.E there's a little more guitar and it's not all full-throated hedonism), but happily they've stayed true to their roots and offered up something reminiscent of their legendary live shows. In other words, it's a great first missive; we expect there to be even better albums to come from Giant Swan in the years ahead.

Review: Self-styled "producer, composer, artist and curator" Till 'Glitterbug' Rohmann was once dubbed "Germany's best kept techno secret" by a Dutch dance music magazine. While that's debatable, there's still something quietly impressive about his spooky, cinematic compositions. Cancerboy, his third album, moves wearily between bubbling, acid-laden retro-futurism (see the Meat Beat Manifesto/Orbital-ish "Abyss" or rush-inducing "Don't Stop"), unfussy melodic electronica ("Undertow") and weepy ambience ("Backwards"), occasionally pausing for the odd moment of shuffling dancefloor techno ("Passages") or clandestine IDM ("From Here On"). Throughout, there's an otherworldly style and reliance on out-there sounds that suggests a producer at the top of his game.

Review: For electronic music fans of a certain vintage (us included), this surprise new addition to NRK's long-forgotten Back In The Box series is something of a rare treat. Back in the 90s, Global Communication (aka Cornish cosmonauts Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard) were big news, primarily for their pioneering ambient works. Here, they revisit their early days with two discs of gorgeous electronic classics and long-forgotten IDM dancefloor gems. The first disc concentrates more on intergalactic techno floor fillers - think Reese, Derrick May, Speedy J and F.U.S.E - with the second providing a delightful dose of vintage ambience, downtempo and electronica (Aphex, Link, 808 State etc). Both discs are beautifully mixed, and offer a surprising, enjoyable and evocative journey through one of dance music's most under-appreciated scenes.

Review: When Storm Festival were given the chance to program two days of electronic music performances at Berlin's legendary Philharmonie classical concert venue in February 2020, one of the first artists they signed up was Stefan Goldmann. This CD showcases his performance, which featured music specifically written to make the most of the shape and acoustics of the venue's Grand Hall. It was a performance that made the most of his noted sound design skills, moving between modular style synthesizer textures, dense ambient noise, minor key electronica, far-out mutations of minimal techno and, as the set progressed, alien soundscapes that mix fractured and occasionally intense techno rhythms with all manner of bizarre and brilliant electronic sounds.

Review: Redscale and Greyscale label founder and dub techno production don and master DJ Grad U takes us on a killer trip here into widescreen worlds of ambient sound. The textures are lo-fi and fuzzy around the edges as per most ambient albums, and the synths are heady and smeared to perfection. Some pieces are filled with a subtle sense of hope and optimism, others are more darkened drones that turn you in on yourself, but all of these tracks are fantastically realised and immersive pieces of ambient art.

Review: Considering the hazy, spaced-out and immersive nature of grad_u's dub techno productions, we were rather surprised to discover that "Umwelt" is his first full-length collection of cuts for almost seven years. We're glad he's finally got round to making another album, though, because it's the extended format that offers the best chance to wallow in his becalmed and beguiling blend of fuzzy aural textures, deep dub rhythms, woozy ambient soundscapes, fluid electronics and deep space beats. While it would be easy to pick out highlights - the up-tempo beats and pulsating chords of "Racing Thoughts", say, or the Basic Channel-esque throb of "Mars Odyssey" - the genius of "Umwelt" is how it hangs together as one intoxicating, slowly shifting set of dubbed-out electronic movements.

Review: Prolific Lithuanian dub techno explorer Grad_U is back with a new album which further develops his explorations in realms well beyond the limitations of the dancefloor. Spectral Decay examines all manner of spatial processing, not to mention celebrating the power of the space between the pulses. There are still some steadfast technoid rhythms to latch onto, but the beats are always secondary to the atmospherics in Aleksandr Martinkevic's immersive productions. With a couple of remixes from kindred spirits such as Dominique Jacquinet and Ohrwert Alter folded in for good measure, this is another essential trip into the echo chamber from a master of the craft.

Review: .For the 100th volume in their ongoing 'Mood Series' of albums, Greyscale has chosen to offer up something very special: a double disc set of previously unreleased "secret weapons" produced by label main man Grad_U. It's an undeniably brilliant collection all told, with the long-serving artist offering up a rich selection of deep techno and dub techno treats in his distinctive style. Highlights are plentiful and include (but are in no way limited to), the house-infused, hypnotic techno positivity of 'Run Out', the intergalactic dub techno pulse of 'Compound', the acid-flecked intensity of 'Seismic Investigations', the immersive rhythmic sound soup of 'Whispering Rails', and the melodic flutter of 'Orbital Outpost'.

Review: The impeccable Lithuanian label Greyscale is a real leader when it comes to dub techno and already they are racing into 2024 in fine style with a first full-length of the year from label head Grad_U! The sublime and immersive Sustain has eight larges ambient soundscapes that are detailed with field recordings from another planet. Each one is alluringly empty and beautiful, intriguing and unsettling to make for an escapist trip to another dimension. The way the producer manages to conjure up what feel like familiar emotions in such a faraway world is second to none and will leave you wanting to do it all over again the second it ends.

Review: Between 2012 and 2017, grad_u released nine EPs of high quality dub techno on the vinyl-only Redscale imprint. With the label now seemingly a thing of the past, the prolific Lithuanian producer has decided to gather together all 19 tracks from those sought-after vinyl EPs on CD for the very first time. Those who have paid close attention to grad_u's career will know what to expect, namely an evocative mixture of deep, hypnotic techno epics, delay-laden dub techno workouts, spacey late night rollers, abstract dancefloor explorations and occasional surprise turns towards a bolder, warehouse-friendly style (see the formidably sweaty and sub-heavy "Holdback").

Review: Igor Arsenjev works as Gradient and puts out an awful lot of music. It's all about deep dives in ambient, dub and techno and is well designed and super seductive for the mind. Greyscale's 25th album comes from this long-time label friend and is his fourth for the label. It is another warm and comforting listen with subtle stylistic shifts that draw you in each time. There are late-night drivers as well as more dance floor-orientated sounds, hypnotic groovers and masterfully minimalistic meditations. The opener itself is a quick highlight with brilliantly designed and rolling drums under smeared chords that set a fine tone for what is to come. A real triumph.

Review: To celebrate 15 years in the game and coming via Lithuania's Greyscale label, Gradient delivers Dub Stories, a two-CD masterpiece that focuses on his evolution. CD1 opens with 'Dub Story 1,' setting a vibrant tone that flows into the airy 'Dub Story 2.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 3' and 'Dub Story 6' pay homage to classic dub roots, while 'Dub Story 4' and 'Dub Story 8' push creative boundaries with dynamic melodies. CD2 continues the journey with the deep, evocative 'Dub Story 11' and the celestial 'Dub Story 13.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 16' offer serene, minimalistic breaks, while 'Dub Story 19' delves into deep, contemplative layers. The album closes with 'Dub Story 20,' a grand finale that leaves a lasting impression. Dub Stories is a fitting tribute to Gradient's legacy and a shining example of quality in the dub techno realm.

Review: Over the course of two albums and a handful of singles, Gradient has showcased a distinctive take on dub techno that emphasizes melodic positivity and aural colour just as much as bass-heavy rhythms and sonic warmth. That trademark sound once again comes to the fore on "Dub Harmonics", which merrily skips between sub-baked dub house ("Harmonic 02"), locked-in peak-time grooves (the smile-inducing goodness of "Harmonic 04"), spaced-out deep space dub ("Harmonic 06") and rolling, early morning dancefloor workouts (the acid bass-propelled "Harmonic 09"). While there are no real surprises or stylistic shifts, there's enough subtle differences to make the album flow nicely, while the ear-pleasing nature of Gradient's sound makes "Dub Harmonics" a very enjoyable listen.

Review: Igor Arsenjev's work as Gradient - and rather a lot has been released since he debuted in 2009 - has frequently dived deep into the more ambient, sound design obsessed end of the dub techno spectrum. On his new album for Ranges Records, the long-serving producer has tweaked his template a little. What's an offer, a suite of nine tracks, retains the hypnotic, locked-in, late-night feel of his tracks, but relies more heavily on deep techno sounds and kickdrum-driven grooves than weighty dub basslines, drone textures and so on. Admittedly there are some echoing riffs drawn from the dub playbook - something that subtly comes to the fore midway through the album - but for the most part it's loopy, ultra-deep, percussively sturdy and, most importantly of all, deliciously alluring.

Review: If long, meditative and hypnotic workouts are your thing, we'd heartily recommend this release from dub techno and abstract ambient specialists Space Of Variants. It comes courtesy of Gradient AKA Igor Arsenjev, a producer whose previous output on Greyscale and U-Cover explored the deeper side of the dub techno spectrum. If anything, the four expansive tracks on "Neural Waves From The Stars" is even deeper, with Arsenjev combining sparse, weighty, minimalist dub and techno rhythms with enveloping ambient chords, warm, slowly shifting melodies and electronic instrumentation that's more tactile and comforting than an extended hug from your nearest and dearest.

Review: Gary Brackley's 2008 debut album, Expanse, has already received the remix treatment once already. Here, another selection of little-known producers gets a chance to deliver interpretations of the original album's heady blend of dub techno, sparse minimalism and atmospheric ambience. The new mixes largely take a similar approach, though there's arguably much more warmth and comfort on display than the icy original LP. Top marks go to Arc of Doves for their near Balearic, bongo-laden take on "Endless Waves", while Grad U's toasty dub techno take on "Expanse" is a horizontal delight. It's not all defiantly stoned home listening fare, though; Overcast Sound turn "The Furthest Outpost" into a sturdy, hypnotic techno delight.

Review: Tribute to club Maria, Berlin. Mixed by Peter Grummich.

Review: Given that they not only share space on the same label, but also both explore the deeper end of the dub techno spectrum, we were rather surprised to learn that "Hypnotic Dub Season" marks the first collaboration between musical cosmonauts Mr Cloudy (AKA Sergey Barkalov) and Gradient (Igor Arsenjev). So, was it worth the wait? If you're into dub techno, then certainly. The album is made up of three epic workouts (the last of which runs to an astonishing 30 minutes) in which the pair wrap hissing aural textures, echoing melodic motifs and sumptuous, huggable ambient electronics around chunky, slowly shifting dub techno rhythms. If you like your music hazy, spaced-out and - as the title promises - hypnotic, then you need this in your life.

Review: Lithuanian label Greyscale's full-length catalogue is back with another doozy and this one comes from Japanese dub techno don Silentwave. Dub Melancolia lays out a dynamic vision across 11 slick tracks that all add up to a superb cinematic experience. Each of the deeply hypnotic cuts are detailed with exquisite additions like moody strings, celestial melodies and wintery pads. Label owner grad_u also appears with a remix of his own and further highlights com from the emotional 'Indigenous Dance' and 'Eden', a stylish sunning mid-tempo melody peaker. This one goes way beyond the dancefloor.